Merrymaking
by shinigami714
Summary: A series of one shots revolving around Dwarven Festivals beginning with Harnkegger. Durincest (Fili/Kili) Mild angst, Fluff


AN: And thus begins a new series of one shots revolving around Dwarven festivals, because inspiration hit and so on.

Pairing: Fíli/Kíli

Warnings: Romance, Mild Angst, Fluff

* * *

><p><strong>Pine<br>**

Celebrations were perhaps rather simple in the Blue Mountains compared to some of the other dwarven establishments around Middle Earth. The food was uninteresting and often bland, much like any other day of the week. Money was hard to come by, so the dwarves found other ways of enjoying their evenings. Ways that involved little more than modest fun and often mischievous games. A bit of ale never hurt, passed around to all, putting a flush in the cheeks and paving the way for an evening of laughter and harmless entertainment.

It was the second evening of Harnkegger Fest, and many of the dwarves celebrated it as they did each passing year prior. They gathered together in the taverns and sang and laughed, danced and frolicked. Early into the evening the first of the games began. A single dwarf was spun about in a circle, a blindfold tied tight across his or her eyes. Those standing by laughed as they watched the dwarf stumble and reach out blindly for another. They were to kiss the first dwarf they found, and then the rest of the evening would be spent dancing together, and sometimes more. It brought everyone together, allowed strangers to become friends, friends to become lovers. It was one of the best games to open an evening of celebration with, generating laughter amongst the masses and encouraging mingling between the different families of dwarves.

The first dwarf to spin was the Harnkegger and on this particular year the title was given to a rather large dwarf who worked tirelessly in the nearby mines. His weeks of effort were rewarded as he was made the centre of attention and dressed in the traditional garb. His hands flayed about in front of his body blindly as he struggled to gain his balance after the spinning stopped. He took just a few steps before he lost his footing and tumbled into another dwarf, drawing a delighted squeal from her lips. She was a stout lass with a thick light brown beard, and her cheeks flushed an attractive pink as she was chosen. She giggled and flushed when the miner's fingers ran across her clothed breast curiously and Kíli laughed at the playful sight along with his golden haired brother. The two drank from their steins and watched as the dwarves kissed in merriment. Fíli chanted along with the crowd, urging them on, and then the miner removed his blindfold and swept her away in a clumsy dance as a cheery tune started up in the tavern. Fíli took a long gulp of his ale, enjoying the unusual sharp flavour of this particular batch. His eyes shifted around the room and paused briefly, studying a form intently.

"What about that one, Kíli?" Fíli asked, nudging his brother and nodding towards the lass across the room. She was poised and beautiful for certain, her red beard ending just before her chin. Kíli studied her for just a few seconds before shaking his head and looking down into his drink morosely.

"She's…not my type," he muttered, and Fíli smirked at him before lifting his mug to the left, a drop of summer ale spilling over the side.

"How about 'im?" Fíli suggested, this time referring to a muscular dwarf, leaning against a table nearby. His posture exuded confidence, and his straw-coloured beard was thick and braided four ways. A wide scar split through his left eyebrow and Kíli stared at him for a moment longer. He bit his lip and glanced at his brother, before taking a long gulp of his ale and slapping the mug down on the wooden table.

"Look, it doesn't matter. None of these dwarves are interested in me anyway," Kíli complained and Fili frowned at him and placed a hand upon his shoulder. The younger of the two was always doubting his worth, comparing himself to others. Kíli was cheerful enough, on an everyday basis, and always willing to strike up a conversation with a stranger. But as soon as talk morphed into the possibilities of romance, he became impossibly insecure. It was true that Fíli often attracted the attention of most of the lasses in their company. He liked working a crowd, and he liked a little bit of harmless flirting every now and then, but not at the cost of his brother's confidence. If Kíli would just open up his eyes a little on occasion he would see that many dwarves sought him out, looked his way with interest, but for some reason he didn't take notice of a single one. And Kíli was so unwilling to specify exactly what his type was that Fíli found himself guessing entirely from the other dwarf's reactions to suggested partners. He had an idea, but couldn't be certain, and he was wary to risk everything by asking. But each time he saw that saddened look in his brother's eyes Fíli was persuaded to press the issue just a tiny bit more, and what better time than during Harnkeggar, after so many long weeks of work.

"Don't be like that Kíli," Fíli pleaded, urging the other to cheer up and enjoy the evening like they were meant to, to smile like his face was crafted to. The older dwarf hated seeing such sorrow in his brother's eyes, and Fíli moved his hand into the hair atop his brother's head gently, but Kíli remained sombre, even as a flock of dwarves swarmed about their table and tugged on Fíli's arm impishly.

"Prince Fíli, you must go next!" A blonde lass urged, tugging playfully on his sleeve. She looked highborn, her smile poised, her dress fairly ornate for their location, and Fíli tossed her a frisky grin that made her cover her mouth and giggle. Kíli frowned at his side and looked off in the other direction, away from the banter of the girls.

"Yes! It will be so much fun!" another one spoke up, gripping Fíli by his other arm, and together the two managed to lift him from the chair. Fíli glanced back at his brother, noting the forlorn expression on his face and their gazes connected for a brief moment.

"It's okay, go," Kíli said, seeing the unspoken question in his brother's eyes. Fíli hesitated another few seconds, the girls cooing at him from his sides and Kíli tilted his head and offered him a reassuring smile.

"I'll be fine, go," he insisted and Fíli grinned in thanks, turning and finally allowing the lasses to whisk him off into the crowd.

"Come on, come on!" someone shouted and Kíli watched as a blindfold was tied tightly about his brother's eyes. Fíli was smiling that way he always did, dimples visible in his cheeks, the braids dangling from his mustache as it rose up at the corners. The sight made Kíli feel a little bit lighter inside, even though he wasn't involved in the festivities, and he stood and wandered around the tavern a bit, settling against a table to watch. Kíli set down his mug behind him and propped his arms back on the wood, studying his brother as the crowd spun him about in a circle. Fíli's deep laugh sent chills running up his spine and Kíli glanced down, frowning towards the worn floorboards beneath his boots.

He felt like an outsider, listening as the other dwarves conversed about politics and relations around him. None of them were interested in speaking with a scruffy scrawny thing like him, and he brought his arms up and squeezed himself, feeling uncomfortable in his own skin. His eyes observed as Fíli stumbled around in a circle, drawing squeals and laughs from everyone around him. He was nothing like his brother. Fíli was perfect in every way, the way a dwarf prince ought to be. He was strong, and sociable, kind, intelligent…and his beard was...well Kíli flushed at just the thought. He brought a hand up to his own chin shamefully and looked around at the other dwarves within the tavern. Each and every one of them was better looking, more useful, more talented than he. Kíli could long for love all he wanted and it would never be returned, especially not by the one he wanted to return it most of all.

"Oi!" A short greying dwarf spat out next to him, leaning in close and nudging Kíli with his elbow.

"Look at tha' brother of yours, knows how to play a crowd don't 'e?" the aged dwarf voiced, and Kíli nodded at him unconsciously, eyes drifting back to the golden haired dwarf in the centre of the room. Fíli was constantly changing his direction, coming to a stop just in front of many of the dwarves teasingly and then turning at the last second, almost as though he knew where each and every dwarf stood in the room. The ladies were groaning and calling out his name, begging him to walk in their direction; the lads were taking bets and shouting out words of encouragement. A night with Fíli would be a dream for most lasses, a dream for any dwarf really, even if it was only spent dancing and drinking together in camaraderie.

Kíli let out a long sigh, and watched longingly as Fíli circled about the room. He came so close to so many dwarves, but didn't touch a single one. They pouted at him and called his name woefully, unable to move or interfere with his path, lest they break the rules of the game. Fíli was still grinning as he moved closer to Kíli's side of the room, and the younger brother found his lips lifting in return as Fíli stumbled into the table beside him, tripping over a chair and fumbling with his arms to steady his body. The dwarves in the room mocked him playfully, while Fíli found his balance once more, and even Kíli snickered a bit as his brother pretended to act out his part.

An instant later however and Kíli's grin began to fall away, morphing into an expression of worry. His brother had staggered in his direction, gripping the corner of the table he still leant against, and the brunette felt every muscle in his body seize up. Kíli stood frozen in place as Fíli approached him, easing along the table with one hand, his fingers grazing across the wood grain. Kíli did not move an inch, and the rest of the room waited with baited breath as Fíli's fingertips drew closer to the edge of his brother's jerkin. It was the nearest the blond had come to a dwarf the entire game and Kíli's eyes widened and he swallowed nervously as his brother paused just beside him. Some of the dwarves were whispering frantically about them, and Kíli could feel their eyes narrowing in his direction, glaring at him for stealing the limelight. He stopped breathing, his lips trembling as he stared into the solid black strapped across Fíli's deep blue eyes.

"Prince Fíli! Prince Fíli! Over here!" a lass shouted suddenly, from near across the room, and Fíli's head turned just slightly towards the sound before he walked away a few steps in that direction. Air rushed from Kíli's lungs and he breathed in and out shakily, feeling oddly let down. The tension fled his body, leaving his limbs in a shaky and weakened state, and Kíli felt his heart clench tightly in his chest. He looked towards his brother mournfully, and then beyond at the pristine blonde calling Fíli's name, beckoning him closer, and Kíli was sure he felt a stinging sensation begin to form at the back of his eyes.

But suddenly Fíli paused and turned back towards him again, and in a flash the older dwarf's hands reached out and connected with Kíli's waist. The brunette tensed again, and gasped along with the rest of the room. The crowd did not chant the '_kiss kiss kiss_' like they usually did, instead it was surprisingly silent as Fíli's fingers ran up the front of Kíli's jerkin, as their bodies pressed closer together, and as the blond's lips came to rest just an inch from his brother's. Kíli was shaking by the time Fíli's fingers found his neck, easing across the skin until they grazed the faint hairs upon his chin. Fíli was still smirking playfully as he lent forwards just a tad more, his hot breath ghosting across Kíli's heavily flushed face. Fíli's fingers entangled in the dark hairs behind the other dwarf's ears, and then he drew his brother forwards, their lips pressing together in a gentle kiss.

The room filled with murmurs and surprised intakes of air as the two dwarves kissed slowly. In truth it was mostly Fíli doing the kissing, as Kíli was still frozen from shock, his knuckles turning white as his hands clenched tightly to the wooden table at his sides. The younger dwarf let out a tiny whimper, and Fíli pulled back just enough so he could reach up and tug the blindfold from his eyes. It settled around his neck loosely, and Kíli was locked in his brilliant blue gaze. Fíli studied him seriously, his eyes taking in every inch of his brother's face, searching his features visibly. The blond took note of his brother's darkened skin, flushed from embarrassment, the quick pulse beneath his fingers at Kíli's neck, the glisten about his dark brown eyes, and the way his lips were swollen and parted still from their kiss. Finally Fíli smiled, and he bent forwards, pressing his lips up against his brother's sensitive ear.

"I guess that means you're my dance partner for the rest of the night, little brother," Fíli muttered cheerily, and Kíli gaped at him, unsure how he was meant to react. The brunette's mind was filled with a wide array of thoughts and emotions and he found himself still struggling to slow his fast paced heartbeat. Was it all a joke? Did Fíli feel disgust, regret? Was he masking his real emotions behind a playful exterior? An awkward strain wrapped around Kíli's soul; tightening the longer he stayed propped against the table and filling his thoughts with doubt and fear. Fíli studied him worriedly, gently encasing the side of Kíli's face in the palm of his hand. He tilted his head and peered into his little brother's eyes, waiting for a reaction, but Kíli's expression remained vacant and slightly confused, the only sign of his discomfort was the slight stiffness of the muscles of his brow.

By now the crowd around them had moved on, another person already chosen and blindfolded with a red sash. Laughter once again filled the tavern and the dancing dwarves moved about as they had before, though a few continued to discuss their kiss and gesture in their direction, some pouting at the realisation that the two dwarves were no longer available for the evening. Fíli frowned, lowering his hand to the table to rest beside his brother's and he moved his gaze to stare intently at a silver buckle on the other dwarf's tunic.

"Was I wrong in thinking that you held interest for me?" Fíli asked quietly, and he glanced to the side slightly, taking in their surroundings. Kíli's eyes widened, the most his expression had moved since the kiss, and Fíli glanced back up at his little brother's face.

"I…," Kíli stuttered, and a deep flush filled his cheeks, spreading down his neck. The brunette relaxed his grip on the table and pulled his hands to his front, twining his fingers together nervously. Fíli's piercing gaze urged him to tell the truth, and he lowered his head and pondered what to say. He'd always been unable to lie to his brother.

"Y-you weren't wrong," Kíli whispered. He was embarrassed and torn between staying and nursing his drink for several hours or running away and hiding for the rest of eternity. The last thing he wanted was for his brother to hate him, to _know_. But he should have expected it. Fíli was so perceptive, so good at reading others. Before the brunette could decide what to do he was dragged away from the table, his brother's fingers gripped firmly around his wrist. Kíli allowed himself to be pulled into the thick of the dancing, and Fíli drew him close and led him around the floor with the other couples. The younger dwarf relaxed slightly and placed his chin atop his brother's shoulder, happy at least that Fíli did not seem too bothered by the discovery. He felt guilty for ruining his brother's chance to spend the evening with someone else, one of the pretty lasses that were so keen to have him. Kíli's eyes slid shut as the other dwarf's embrace soothed him, and he felt himself drifting as the music lulled him. Fíli pressed his nose into Kíli's unkempt hair, bringing about a shiver as his breath caressed his little brother's neck.

"Pine," Fíli murmured, in the midst of their dance, and Kíli opened his eyes and lifted his head to look at him. Fíli stared back, a sated grin upon his face, and Kíli raised his eyebrow slightly in question.

"You always smell of pine, like freshly fallen needles from the trees in the forests," Fíli explained, his fingers tightening at the other dwarf's waist.

"Even blindfolded I could find you in the thickest of crowds Kíli," Fíli admitted, eyeing the other dwarf in a sultry manner. Kíli's healthy flush returned as he comprehended the meaning of his brother's words.

"Then…you knew who I was? When you were blindfolded? You knew who you were kissing?" Kíli gawked at his brother, spouting question after question. Fíli smirked at him and scoffed as though it was the most obvious notion in the world.

"Of course I knew," he spoke, pulling away slightly, just enough to look his brother up and down.

"There's no other dwarf in this room, or in this world even, that I would want to spend the rest of the evening with. The rest of my days for that matter," Fíli declared. The festivities continued around them, even as the two stood motionless amidst the centre of the room. Dwarves occasionally brushed against them, nudging their bodies, and Fíli steadied his brother when he was knocked a bit to the side. The motion seemed to startle Kíli and he scrunched up his brow and refused to look his brother in the eye.

"I know what you're thinking, and stop it," Fíli ordered, shaking his brother from his self-induced stupor.

"Stop it, because it's not true," he insisted, and Kíli opened his mouth to argue but no words came out. He still looked unsure, disbelieving, and Fíli shook his head in frustration.

"You always do this to yourself. I don't understand where you've gotten this silly notion from, that you're not worthy of being loved," the blond muttered, lifting his hands to his brother's face. Their eyes connected and Fíli held the other dwarf's chin firmly in place.

"For goodness sake Kíli, what will it take to convince you?" he asked desperately. Kíli eyed him shyly before shrugging awkwardly.

"Perhaps…another kiss," Kíli suggested, and his face instantly turned a deep dark red as heat rushed beneath his skin. He pulled away from his brother's grip and ran a hand nervously through his dark hair.

"T-that was stupid…you don't have to, I mean-," Kíli began, but his words were cut short when Fíli gripped his tunic firmly and tugged him close before he pressed their lips firmly together. The initial urgency abated quickly and the kiss became gentle and loving as Fíli nipped tenderly at the other dwarf's lower lip. Kíli's heart skipped a beat and he leant forwards into the touch, returning the movements hesitantly. His lips opened and closed shakily and he clenched his fingers in the other dwarf's fur coat. The catcalls urged them on for a few moments and Fíli pushed his brother backwards forcefully until his legs knocked against a stool. Kíli gasped in surprise at the contact and moaned as Fíli took the opportunity to press his tongue against the roof of his brother's mouth.

"Oi! Get a room!" Someone shouted good-humouredly from not far off, and Kíli pulled his head back in surprise. He raised a hand to his lips in embarrassment, and looked at his brother timidly through his scraggly bangs, the fingers on his other hand still tightly clenched in Fíli's furs. The blond dwarf chuckled at him and grinned widely, and Kíli found himself returning the sentiment, feeling lighter than he had in a long while, despite his overwhelming embarrassment. His heart was still beating rapidly, his skin tingled in excitement, and for the first time Kíli was able to see just how much his brother loved him.

"Come on," Fíli whispered, tugging at his sleeve lightly and nodding towards where the dwarves were beginning another silly game.

"Let's have some fun," Fíli suggested with a mischievous grin, and Kíli smirked, biting his lower lip as he followed his brother into the crowd.

AN: Thanks for reading!

**Harnkegger fest:** AKA Deep Ale Fest, an event that takes place near the beginning of Summer in the dwarven calendar. It is a ten day event during which the dwarves feast, drink and participate in contests and games. The title of Harnkegger is given to the dwarf who works the hardest between this and the previous festival.


End file.
